| Author |
Topic |
|
89 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2012 : 11:34 PM
|
Trip: Mount Truax
Participants: René-Carl Dionne (photographer) and Alexis Guigue (reporter).
The plan for the week-end was to climb Mount Truax on Saturday, which is the highest peak around Gold Bridge. We also decided to take advantage to be in the area to check out the Locomotive group area on Sunday.
Until the last minute, the trip was on hold as the Hurley FSR was scheduled to be opened only on Friday! So, I checked frenetically Friday morning to ensure that this would indeed happen and it did, so I was quite happy about it. However, a couple of hours after this good news, I almost cancel the trip. I went before to noon for a brunch to Jethro’s and I made the mistake to order the full load of pancakes generously covered with real maple syrup, which I finished entirely. That was way too much and as soon as I arrived, I started to feel heavy, warm, etc. Signs of hyperglycemia? I do not know, but I decided to go for a nap and then a little run to get the blood flowing. It got better, but I was still feeling groggy. Oh well, I told myself, the mountain fresh air cures everything, right?
So, I met René-Carl at the Church at 6PM and off we went. The first crux of the trip was going through the Hurley FSR. I am not sure that the Toyota Matrix (and the entry level one) has been originally designed to handle this kind of roads, so I am always a bit worried and nervous. It went quite well though and we arrived at the intersection between the Fergusson Creek Trail/Road and the Kingdom Lake FSR at 10PM. We camped just right there. The cairn cannot really be missed. Even at night!
We were a little bit worried by the weather but when we woke up, it was quite clear actually with some clouds. We decided for an early start as we were not sure how long and hard the trip would be and we wanted some firm snow. As we started to hike up the Fergusson Creek Trail/Road, we looked back and started to get some awesome view. I believe this one is Mount Dickson, right?
Our hiking plan was quite simple. Follow the Fergusson Creek Trail/Road and as soon as possible, shoot straight up to the ridge connecting Truax W4 and Truax SW2 and avoid the zigzagging of the Fergusson Creek Trail/Road. The Fergusson Creek Trail/Road was very easy to follow and quite in a good shape overall. There were a very few number of fallen logs and it was not very overgrown. There was only a short section of mild alders. But seriously, I would have been very disappointed not to have one. It is a BC hike after all!! The other comment I could make is that the two foot bridges on the Fergusson Creek mentioned on Bivouac were just gone. Do not bother crossing the creek twice! We just stayed on the North side of the creek, which involved crossing a boulder field and we quickly got back on the trail. Soon after, the snow slowly started to appear, and just a bit later, we found a nice snow slope leading us right up to the ridge.
After some work, we got on the ridge. Nice views from there: Truax NW3, Truax (actually, we cannot see Truax from this viewpoint, it is behind the snow bump on the right of the picture), and Truax SW2.
  
From the topographic map, it seemed reasonable to aim for the bump, which is aligned with Truax. It was supposed to drop a bit after, but not too dramatically and then finally go up gently to Truax itself. So, we went for this option. Getting to the top of the bump was very easy following the ridge. We could see Truax for the first time. The only complication was to get to the gently slope below it. The drop we were expecting was a bit more involved than we thought. Time to pull the big artillery then: ice ax, helmet, but no crampons. Snow seemed to soft enough to easily quick steps.
 
The perspective of the gully looks impressive, but it was not that bad. Just added a bit of spice :)
 
View from the bottom.
From the viewpoint of this picture, we were only steps away from the gentle slope leading to the summit.
 
It was quite cold and windy up there. After all, Truax is 2875m high! So, we quickly headed back. It was not super clear while we were on the summit, but we still had some good views.
We came exactly the same way we came up with still some good views along the way. For example, this one of Gun Lake.
We were welcome at our camp by a beautiful blue sunny sky after 19K, 1969m elevation gain for a 9H30 duration. It was an invitation to take a nice nap.
Lesson learned from this trip. Not so much a good idea to nap on a road used by vehicles. I actually was abruptly woken up by a group of local dirt bikers headed out for their regular Saturday ride. They found quite interesting our camp location as well as the fact that I was sleeping on the road itself! (at this time, René was off the creek to refresh himself). We had a nice chat. They were very friendly. They quickly figured out, with my accent, that I was French, so I guess they must have thought that was explaining everything.
A few words about our Sunday trip. We had the intention to hike the whole Locomotive group. Hahaha, it must be a wood locomotive, because we could not see anything. That was a total white out from Semaphore Lake. It was only thanks to the GPS that we got to the summit of Locomotive and we called it a day.
In a glimpse, we could see the ridge of Locomotive and Face Moutain. Yahoo! We will come back for sure.
 
Pebeto |
Edited by - pebeto on 06/03/2012 11:42 PM
|
|
North Vancouver, BC
Canada
330 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 05:18 AM
|
Excellent trip report! You had me laughing at the encounter with the dirt bikers. Thanks for the Hurley Rd update - time to put some miles on the Jeep again!
|
|
|
Coquitlam, BC
Canada
342 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 06:08 AM
|
Nice trip! Too bad about Sunday though, Semaphore Lakes is a beautiful area - not that you were able to see much!
Was there any glacier travel on the route that you took up Truax?
C |
|
|
89 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 06:14 AM
|
No, there was no glacier travel at all.
Pebeto |
|
|
 bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4646 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 06:54 AM
|
Thanks for the report and cool trip  ! I too am very happy to hear that the Hurley is open for the season  |
|
|
|
Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2039 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 07:16 AM
|
| Enjoyable TR and Hurley update appreciated. |
|
|
|
Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 07:35 AM
|
Good trip report.
Sounds like it's time to switch to a paleo diet and stop the carbo crashing junkie syndrome:
http://robbwolf.com/
Just imagine how far you would go powered by bacon and eggs. |
|
|
over the hills and far away
Canada
708 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 07:50 AM
|
| Nice one. I'd like to be atop Truax one day. |
|
|
505 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 09:17 AM
|
| This one was on my to do list last summer. Well done guys! badass looking T.R. |
|
|
West Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
288 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 09:26 AM
|
Nice work gentleman!
Alexis, I'm sure your read Lee's post on the Armenian Express (I can read your mind but I don't think it is a good idea). |
|
|
Vancouver
107 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 09:36 AM
|
| Great job guys. But of course we'd expect that from you. Too bad about the weather on Sunday. |
Edited by - btrenholme on 06/04/2012 09:37 AM |
|
|
 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
|
Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 09:37 AM
|
| The only bad part of going to Truax when there is snow on the ground is that you don't find the perfect quartz crystals like you can when the ground is bare. |
|
|
| LeeL
Advanced Member
|
Extreme ski tourin, mountain bikin addict who hikes at least once a year
2506 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 10:16 AM
|
| I've only gone into the Bendors in summer but I do have some pictures of heinous bushwhacking going to the base of the Siberian (which is the base of the Armenian) if you want. Bring two axes, possibly two or three screws, at least a 30m rope and maybe some nuts and slings. There's a pretty big ice bulge in the middle if the snow levels low (like if Trevor's turns sluffed it out completely). Thx for the hit of the Bendors. And that is Dickson. The E slope is a nice approach fyi but get going early in the morning for that |
|
|
Vancouver, BC
Canada
145 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 5:57 PM
|
Great trip report.
According to my rough reading, Truax is number 6 of the ten highest BC mountains in Fairley's guide to climbing in sw BC.
Only 9 more to go. |
|
|
304 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 6:31 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by LeeL
And that is Dickson.
Is Dickson your name for Sloan?  |
|
|
| LeeL
Advanced Member
|
Extreme ski tourin, mountain bikin addict who hikes at least once a year
2506 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 6:48 PM
|
| JP - oh duh! my bad |
|
|
|
Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 7:33 PM
|
Amazing!! Endless peaks like ice cream cones. That summit picture of Gun Lake is my favorite. I miss the mountains. gotta get up out of the desert and head up up up
thanks for a great report. |
|
|
Squamish, British Columbia
Canada
1005 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2012 : 7:37 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by pebeto
They quickly figured out, with my accent, that I was French, so I guess they must have thought that was explaining everything.
Nice work Alexis. I had a laugh imagining the scene of you talking to the dirt bikers in your underwear and them giving each other a nod when they heard your accent. Good one. 
Way to get'er done. That's a nice peak to bag on a weekend when the weather could really have gone south quickly. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Truax/Locomotive group
